Storm
by a.dale
Summary: This fic is based on this prompt: Imagine Person A is afraid of thunderstorms. So when there's a storm they sit rigid next to Person B, and Person B wakes up to the feel of A flinching, or doing something to wake them up. B asks A what's wrong, and A sheepishly tells them. B pulls them close, and A falls asleep, finally.


The first thing Isaac heard when he woke up was Stiles' heart racing so fast it was almost a thrum, like electricity. The second thing he heard, was the thunder. As the sound crashed through the room he felt Stiles flinch and the action had him opening his eyes, realizing that Stiles was no longer laying down beside him but sitting up curled into a ball, face hidden between his knees as he shook like a leaf. Frown in place, Isaac turned, reaching out a hand, but before the touch could land another clap of thunder sounded and Stiles jumped again, a whimper leaving his lips. Isaac's hand dropped then, realizing that something was very wrong here, and instead of reaching out, he spoke.

"Stiles?" he said softly, drawing the other's attention, and Stiles' head snapped up, eyes wide as he realized Isaac was awake as well.

"Isaac, did I wake you up? I'm sorry." he managed to say, but even if Isaac hadn't been a werewolf he would've heard how Stiles' voice shook. "I'll go downstairs." before he could so much as move though Isaac's hand flew out, wrapping around Stiles' arm.

"You don't have to." then he was frowning again. "What's wrong? Was it another nightmare?" he watched Stiles hesitate, teeth already worrying his bottom lip hard enough that Isaac knew if he didn't stop in a moment he'd draw blood, but that wasn't the most worrying part. The thing that worried Isaac the most was that Stiles was _hesitating_. That wasn't to say that there weren't things Stiles had hidden from him before, but he never hesitated. He either stated the truth or spouted a story to confuse and misdirect, but never did he hesitate. It had Isaac sitting up, blankets pooling around his hips, and he leaned closer, catching Stiles' eye again. "Stiles?" Stiles met his gaze again, but what surprised him wasn't the lingering fear he saw, but the embarrassment he could smell.

"It's nothing." and his heartbeat tripped with the lie. "I'm fine." another lie. "I just need a drink of water." he moved to get up and Isaac let him, watching as he left the room. He focused his hearing so he could follow Stiles' path down the stairs, listening to his hummingbird heartbeat. He was momentarily distracted by the flash of lightning outside, his gaze drawn by the torrents of rain falling from the sky that he hadn't even notice in the light of Stiles' distress. That's when the thunder crashed in his ears, followed moments later by the shattering sound of glass. Isaac was out of bed in seconds, all but flying down the stairs to find Stiles huddled in a corner of the kitchen, hands pressed over his ears, glass broken across the room and water all over the floor. Isaac ignored the glass, crouching in front of Stiles and pulling his hands away from his ears, cupping Stiles' face in his own hands.

"Stiles, what's wrong?" he could smell the salty tang of tears, see how they glistened in Stiles' eyes as he finally swallowed, preparing to answer.

"It's the thunder. I can't – I hate it." and it all suddenly made perfect sense. Isaac smiled, leaning in to press a soft kiss against Stiles' forehead.

"Yeah. I used to hate the thunder too." he got up, pulling Stiles up with him, and despite the surprised sound of protest, lifted him onto the counter where Isaac could box him in even as he put the kettle on, preparing two cups with hot chocolate mix. When Isaac saw the next flash of lightning, he put his own hands over Stiles' ears, watching the small smile turn up the corners of Stiles' mouth. When the water was boiled, he poured it over the mix, adding almost equal amounts of milk before handing one cup to Stiles and taking the other one for himself. He watched as Stiles took a hesitant sip then all but gulped down the sweet, comforting drink, and when they were both done, Isaac pulled Stiles off the counter, taking his hand to lead him back to bed. Though obviously wary, Stiles allowed the wolf to maneuver him back into the bed, the wolf wrapping himself around his human so that Stiles' ear was pressed to his chest, right above his heart, and he was safely cocooned between Isaac and the wall.

"You shouldn't be ashamed of being afraid." Isaac murmured, and Stiles sighed, cuddling in closer.

"I know." there was a moment of silence before Isaac spoke again.

"When Derek first turned me, and I first moved in with him, I used to be afraid of thunderstorms too. Derek would come find me and he'd do this – so all I could hear was his heartbeat. It made me feel safe." Stiles smiled into Isaac skin, listening to the steady thump-thumping of Isaac's heart. He could actually see Derek doing that, with his sour grumpy face in place but secretly loving the affection, and it was endearing.

"Thank you." he said instead, and felt the brush of Isaac's lips against the top of his head.

"Go to sleep, Stiles."

By the time the next roll of thunder crashed through the room, Stiles was snoring softly into Isaac's chest, and the wolf couldn't help the small burst of pride he felt at having been able to comfort his mate in his time of need. Pleased, he pressed his face into Stiles' hair, breathing in his scent, and followed the human into sleep.


End file.
